Disposable Air Inserts for Shoes

ABSTRACT

Here is disclosed a shoe insert for wearing on a user&#39;s foot. The insert includes a fabric web having opposite first and second ends, opposite first and second sides and opposite upper and lower surfaces. First and second toe enclosures are formed on the first end of the fabric web, the first and second toe enclosures dimensioned to comfortably receive and enclose the second and fourth toe. The first and second toe enclosures are separated by an unobstructed empty space having a width sufficient to accommodate the third toe between the first and second toe enclosures. Finally, the web has a width narrower than a width of the foot.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to inserts worn on the feet for use with shoes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wearing shoes is a common and necessary occurrence in society. While wearing shoes on a user's feet are an effective and often stylish way of protecting the user's feet, prolonged wearing of shoes may result in the buildup of sweat and moisture inside the shoe, leading to discomfort, odor and the growth of the fungal infections on the feet. If the user is required to wear shoes for extended periods of time daily, then the moisture and sweat buildup can exacerbate existing fungal infections and prevent the effective treatment of such infections. Footwear such as open toed sandals and flip flops can, to a large extent, overcome the disadvantages of wearing shoes as it allows the feet, and in particular the toes, to be exposed directly to air, preventing the buildup of moisture and drying out the feet. This direct exposure of the feet to air is often colloquially referred to as letting the feet “breath”. Footwear such as boots and closed toe shoes, hereafter referred to as conventional footwear, enclose the feet and toes in a confined space formed by a web envelope made of either leather, fabric, rubber or some other polymer. The web envelope effectively prevents or otherwise greatly restricts the direct exposure of the feet with the ambient air. This restricted air exposure permits the buildup of moisture within the enclosed envelope, thereby increasing the moisture on the foot contained therein.

Wearing socks made of natural fabrics is one means by which a user can attempt to reduce the buildup of moisture on the feet while wearing conventional footwear. The socks in question are configured and dimensioned to cover over the foot and the toe portion of the foot in particular. As the foot releases moisture by sweating or simple evaporation, the moisture is partially absorbed by the portion of the sock exposed to the released moisture. While socks made of natural fabrics such as wool or cotton do have some capacity to absorb moisture, the amount of moisture absorbed by socks made of these materials is relatively small. Since the socks are designed to survive repeated uses with intervening washings, and since the socks are designed to fit over the entire foot, the socks must be constructed so as to be strong and resilient. Therefore, to form the sock, the wool and cotton must be formed into tight threads which are in turn tightly woven to form the sock. The individual strands of fabric contained in the sock are therefore highly compacted resulting in less air between the individual fabric strands, which in turn significantly decreases the ability of those strands to absorb moisture. Furthermore, the tight spinning of the threads and the tight weaving of the fabric forming the socks makes the fabric denser, tighter and more resistant to air flow through the fabric. This decreases the circulation of air around the foot and between the toes. Less air circulation results in greater buildup of moisture on the foot and between the toes. Hence socks, even if made from natural fabrics, are generally of little effectiveness in preventing the buildup of moisture while wearing conventional footwear. An improved foot covering for protecting feet from the buildup of moisture which maximizes the absorption of moisture and the flow of air around the foot and between the toes is therefore required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shoe insert for wearing on a user's foot. The insert includes a fabric web having opposite first and second ends, opposite first and second sides and opposite upper and lower surfaces. First and second toe enclosures are formed on the first end of the fabric web, the first and second toe enclosures dimensioned to comfortably receive and enclose the second and fourth toe. The first and second toe enclosures are separated by an unobstructed empty space having a width sufficient to accommodate the third toe between the first and second toe enclosures. Finally, the web has a width narrower than a width of the foot.

With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a user's foot wearing a shoe insert made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the shoe insert shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a pre-form for use in constructing the shoe insert shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is top view of the pre-form shown in FIG. 3 which has been folded for final assembly.

FIG. 5 is cross sectional view taken along the toe enclosure portion in FIG. 4 after the assembly of the pre-form into the finished shoe insert.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a shoe insert, shown generally as item 10 is constructed to fit over foot 12. Foot 12 of course has toes 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 projecting from body 15 with toes 16 and 20 being the second and fourth toes respectively and toe 18 being the third toe. Shoe insert 10 consists of a fabric structure having a web portion 24 with toe enclosures 26 and 28. Web portion 24 has opposite ends 30 and 32, opposite side edges 34 and 36, top surface 38 and bottom surface 40. Web portion 24 has a width between side edges 34 and 36 which is narrower than foot 12 but sufficient to straddle the distance separating toes 14 and 22. Toe enclosures 26 and 28 project away from end 30 and depend downward towards bottom surface 40. Toe enclosures 26 and 28 are dimensioned to fit comfortably over toes 16 and 20 respectively. Toe enclosures 26 and 28 are separated by a space 42 which is dimensioned to allow the third tow 18 to fit between the toe enclosures. Therefore, as seen in FIG. 1, when shoe insert 10 is worn on the foot, toes 16 and 20 are enclosed in toe enclosures 26 and 28, respectively, third toe 18 is left unenclosed, and web portion 24 overlaps a portion of body 15 of the foot 12. It will be appreciated that FIG. 1 illustrates shoe insert 10 being worn such that web 24 extends over the top of the foot; however, it is possible to wear the shoe insert such that the web 24 extends over part of the sole of the foot, in which case the second and fourth toes would be covered by toe enclosures 28 and 26, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a pre-form for forming the shoe insert of the present invention is shown as item 41. Pre-form 41 consists of a flat T-shaped web of fabric having opposite ends 43 and 45, a narrow portion 44 towards end 43 and a wide portion at end 45. Wide portion 45 has opposite tab ends 46 and 48. Three notches 50, 52 and 54 are formed on edge 60. Tab 46 has a width of about 1.4″ between notch 50 and edge 56. Likewise, tab 48 has a width of about 1.4″ between notch 54 and edge 58. As seen in FIG. 3, notch 50 is aligned slightly wide of edge 64 and notch 54 is aligned slightly wide of edge 66. Cut 70 is formed at the center of notch 52 and extends down towards narrow portion 44. Transverse cut 70 is formed at the end of cut 70 and extends transversely in alignment with edges 62 and 61 of tabs 46 and 48 respectively. The arrangement of notches 50, 52, 54 and cut 68 divide portion 45 into sections A, B, C and D as illustrated.

Assembling the finished shoe insert from pre-form 41 will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Toe enclosures 28 and 26 are formed by folding over portions of wider portion of the pre-form and sewing the portions together. Portion A is folded over portion B and the two portions are sewn together by stitches 74 which trace the perimeter of portion A where it is not already attached to portion B. When stitched together, portions A and B form toe enclosure 28. Likewise, portion D is folded over portion C and the two portions are sewn together by stitches 76 which trace the perimeter of portion D where it is not already attached to portion C. When stitched together, portions C and D form toe enclosure 26. Toe enclosures 28 and 26 are connected together by portion 72 which extends between them. The length of transverse cut 70 (FIG. 3) helps define the dimensions of space 42. Space 42 is formed when toe enclosures 28 and 26 are expanded when the shoe insert is worn.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the material making up shoe insert 10 is configured to maximize the flow of air through the fabric as well as absorption of excess moisture. To maximize the flow of air through the fabric, the fabric is preferably made of a very loosely woven fabric such as 5 oz cotton batten. 5 oz cotton batten is so loosely woven that it cannot be made into traditional socks because traditional socks made from such a material would fall apart by the very act of putting the socks on. However, the use of this preferred material is ideal for constructing the present shoe insert because the process of putting on the shoe insert does not require the application of significant mechanical stresses onto the shoe insert. The shoe insert only loosely encloses two adjacent toes, not an entire foot; therefore, relatively little pulling force is required to slip the shoe insert onto the foot. Also, since the shoe insert overlaps only a relatively small portion of the foot, the shoe insert receives much less tensional forces as the user walks wearing the shoe insert inside his/her footwear. The net effect is that the shoe insert can be made of a highly open weaved fabric such as 5 oz cotton batten.

The shoe insert has several advantages over socks or wearing bare feet inside conventional footwear. The shoe insert has a greater ability to permit air circulation around the foot and, most importantly, between the toes. While wearing the shoe insert, each toe of the user's foot is separated from its adjacent toe by a layer of fabric. This fabric layer is made of a highly breathable fabric allowing for increased air circulation between the toes and decreased moisture buildup between the toes. Also, the sole and top of the foot is largely left bare while wearing the shoe insert, adding to the comfort of the foot. The large web portion 24 of the shoe insert helps stabilize the shoe insert so as to keep the shoe insert in the correct position with the toe inserts securely covering the second and fourth toes. Finally, since the cost of the loose cotton fabric forming the shoe insert is so small, and since the amount of fabric material required to construct the shoe insert is so small, and finally since the method of constructing the shoe insert is so simple, the final product can be made so inexpensive as to be sold as a disposable one time use product.

A specific embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed; however, several variations of the disclosed embodiment could be envisioned as within the scope of this invention. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims 

Therefore, what is claimed is:
 1. A shoe insert for wearing on a foot with five toes, the insert comprising a fabric web having opposite first and second ends, opposite first and second sides and opposite upper and lower surfaces, first and second toe enclosures formed on the first end of the fabric web, the first and second toe enclosures dimensioned to comfortably receive the second and fourth toes, respectively, the first and second toe enclosures separated by an unobstructed empty space having a width, the width being sufficient to accommodate the third toe between the first and second toe enclosures, the web having a width narrower than a width of the foot.
 2. The shoe insert of claim 1 wherein the web and the second and fourth toe portions are dimensioned and configured such that the second and third toes are enclosed in the first and second toe enclosures, respectively, and the third toe remains unenclosed when the shoe insert is worn on the foot.
 3. The shoes insert of claim 1 wherein the first and second toe enclosures project forward from the first end of the web and depend downwardly towards the lower surface of the web.
 4. The shoe insert of claim 1 wherein the web and toe enclosures are made of a water absorbing fabric.
 5. The shoe insert of claim 1 wherein the width of the web is no greater than a distance separating the first and fifth toes.
 6. The shoe insert of claim 1 wherein each of the toe enclosures consists of a tubular fabric structure having an open end adjacent the web and a closed end opposite the open end.
 7. The shoe insert of claim 4 wherein the water absorbing fabric has a sufficiently loose weave to permit the circulation of air through the water absorbing fabric.
 8. A shoe insert for wearing on a foot with five toes, the insert comprising first and second toe enclosures projecting from a fabric web and separated from each other by a space, the first and second toe enclosures being dimensioned and configured to comfortably enclose the second and fourth toes respectively, with the space being sufficiently wide to accommodate the third toe between the first and second toe enclosures with the third toe unenclosed when the shoe insert is worn, the fabric web extending away from the first and second toe enclosures, the fabric web having a width less than a width of the foot and sufficient to span a portion of the foot extending between the first and fifth toes. 